What do you think?
The Dark Divine #2.5
The Lost Letters of Brother Gabriel
Brother Gabriel, Daniel’s mentor and an ancient Urbat, plays an important role in The Lost Saint as well as the upcoming conclusion to the Dark Divine trilogy, The Savage Grace. We were first introduced to Gabriel in The Dark Divine when Grace recieves a book of ancient letters that Gabriel (a young monk at the time) wrote to his sister during the Crusades, detailing his search to know more about the Urbat. The book of letters ends just before Gabriel falls to the Urbat curse, leaving us to wonder what happened to him in the following years to turn him into the man he is today.
Most of Gabriel’s letters were written during the thirteenth century, and later translated and compiled by an Orthodox priest in the eighteenth century. For whatever reason, some of Gabriel’s letters were lost after translation and did not make it into that original book. But good news! A few of these “lost letters,” detailing Gabriel’s fall to the Urbat curse and his quest to seek revenge on the man responsible for his demise, have recently been “discovered” by the indomitable crew at Egmont USA, and are compiled here for your reading pleasure.
I hope you enjoy The Lost Letters of Brother Gabriel. I think they give a lot more depth to Brother Gabriel’s character and the mythology of the Dark Divine trilogy.
Always,
Bree Despain
Most of Gabriel’s letters were written during the thirteenth century, and later translated and compiled by an Orthodox priest in the eighteenth century. For whatever reason, some of Gabriel’s letters were lost after translation and did not make it into that original book. But good news! A few of these “lost letters,” detailing Gabriel’s fall to the Urbat curse and his quest to seek revenge on the man responsible for his demise, have recently been “discovered” by the indomitable crew at Egmont USA, and are compiled here for your reading pleasure.
I hope you enjoy The Lost Letters of Brother Gabriel. I think they give a lot more depth to Brother Gabriel’s character and the mythology of the Dark Divine trilogy.
Always,
Bree Despain
18 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 10, 2011
About the author
Bree Despain
21 books2,726 followersThe Short: Bree rediscovered her childhood love for creating stories when she took a semester off college to write and direct plays for at-risk, inner-city teens from Philadelphia and New York. She currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband, two young sons, and her beloved TiVo. The Dark Divine is Bree's debut novel.
The Long: As a kid, Bree would staple folded papers to make her own "novels." As a teen, she wrote stories in notebooks while her friends waited for the next page to be finished. Her teachers told her she should be a writer. But Bree thought only special people could be writers, so as the years past, she settled into the idea of becoming a lawyer or something else just as ordinary.
Bree rediscovered her childhood love for creating stories when she took a semester off college to write and direct plays for at-risk, inner city teens from Philadelphia and New York. With a renewed passion for story, and the young adult audience, she returned to Brigham Young University, filled her schedule with creative writing and literature classes, and started writing stories again. But regular life kicked in, and she soon found herself married with a new baby, working full-time, and with very little writing done.
That’s when the universe threw a pick-up truck in her path. The car accident left Bree with an understanding that life was too short to not do what you absolutely love. A few days later, her husband brought home a used laptop computer, placed it by her bedside, and said, “You’d better start writing.” Her life has never been the same since.
In a moment of karmic perfection, Bree received the offer to purchase The Dark Divine on the 6th anniversary of the car accident that put her back on the path to becoming an author.
The Long: As a kid, Bree would staple folded papers to make her own "novels." As a teen, she wrote stories in notebooks while her friends waited for the next page to be finished. Her teachers told her she should be a writer. But Bree thought only special people could be writers, so as the years past, she settled into the idea of becoming a lawyer or something else just as ordinary.
Bree rediscovered her childhood love for creating stories when she took a semester off college to write and direct plays for at-risk, inner city teens from Philadelphia and New York. With a renewed passion for story, and the young adult audience, she returned to Brigham Young University, filled her schedule with creative writing and literature classes, and started writing stories again. But regular life kicked in, and she soon found herself married with a new baby, working full-time, and with very little writing done.
That’s when the universe threw a pick-up truck in her path. The car accident left Bree with an understanding that life was too short to not do what you absolutely love. A few days later, her husband brought home a used laptop computer, placed it by her bedside, and said, “You’d better start writing.” Her life has never been the same since.
In a moment of karmic perfection, Bree received the offer to purchase The Dark Divine on the 6th anniversary of the car accident that put her back on the path to becoming an author.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
November 12, 2011
I am so thankful to Bree Despain and everyone who decided to publish this series of letters. Up until now, I had connected with Gabriel's character, but only barely. Now, after hearing from his own words, the history of the Urbat, it is really heartwrenching and I can absorb his point of view more clearly.
Even though this was only twenty pages, they were all sapped with enough emotion to fill a novel. Gabriel is writing to his dear sister, Katherine in all of the letters, even after she is killed by his wolf side. She must've been a really understanding person to still have faith in her brother after everything he admits to, which makes her am admirable character even though we never see her directly.
All he wants is redemption after killing all of those people, innocent or not. He was helpless and not strong enough to resist succumbing to the wolf's heading desires.
I became more aware in this story about his dire need for a cure. I am beginning to think he will do anything necessary to get it. Although, since he didn't succumb to his wolf nature and kill Miguel, it is hard to say where he will draw the line. The things mentioned about Grace in one of the letters sparked again my curiosity about the wolf cure. I hope this is one of the main plot points to the next book because it has been one of the lingering anomalies since the last book.
This story makes the Dark Divine upcoming book in the trilogy even more unpredictable. I will be keeping my eye out for the Savage Grace, coming to bookstores March 13, 2012!
Even though this was only twenty pages, they were all sapped with enough emotion to fill a novel. Gabriel is writing to his dear sister, Katherine in all of the letters, even after she is killed by his wolf side. She must've been a really understanding person to still have faith in her brother after everything he admits to, which makes her am admirable character even though we never see her directly.
All he wants is redemption after killing all of those people, innocent or not. He was helpless and not strong enough to resist succumbing to the wolf's heading desires.
I became more aware in this story about his dire need for a cure. I am beginning to think he will do anything necessary to get it. Although, since he didn't succumb to his wolf nature and kill Miguel, it is hard to say where he will draw the line. The things mentioned about Grace in one of the letters sparked again my curiosity about the wolf cure. I hope this is one of the main plot points to the next book because it has been one of the lingering anomalies since the last book.
This story makes the Dark Divine upcoming book in the trilogy even more unpredictable. I will be keeping my eye out for the Savage Grace, coming to bookstores March 13, 2012!
February 26, 2017
3.5 stars
A very heart-wrenching novella. So much emotion in this one. Anger, fear, vengeance, love, HOPE....Very insightful.
A very heart-wrenching novella. So much emotion in this one. Anger, fear, vengeance, love, HOPE....Very insightful.
August 29, 2020
The writing is off. The writing is trying too hard to be from medieval times.
August 2, 2018
Started and finished on 8/1/18
Read
March 5, 2017Cross-posted from my blog where there's more information on where I got my copy and everything.
First of all, I refuse to call this a novella because it's barely twenty pages long. It's pretty much a short story. That just kind of bugs me. Now, because Egmont closed its door, you can't really buy this anywhere, so finding it is probably going to be a bit difficult. I got lucky in that my library's ebook system had it, so I could just download it. Funnily enough, though, I looked it up one day, and the next someone else had checked it out. So apparently someone else in Saskatchewan is reading the same series!
Now this is not something like the Darkest Minds novellas where they're an additional story that expands upon the universe in the series. This adds to the backstory some. And it's interesting, yes. It's very stylized as letters, and that's cool, although I'm not entirely sure the whole "Old English" thing carries through consistently and that probably would bug some people.
It's a cool bonus. Is it essential? No. If you can find it legally like from a library, check it out if you're into this series. But don't worry about it if you can't.
Although I will say, this is my favourite cover of the series. I love the ombre fade of the cloth from dark to light, and honestly, I like that there isn't a model. I mean, are you going to have a naked monk rolling around in fabric on your cover?
...actually can we have that? No, I'm kidding. Mostly.
First of all, I refuse to call this a novella because it's barely twenty pages long. It's pretty much a short story. That just kind of bugs me. Now, because Egmont closed its door, you can't really buy this anywhere, so finding it is probably going to be a bit difficult. I got lucky in that my library's ebook system had it, so I could just download it. Funnily enough, though, I looked it up one day, and the next someone else had checked it out. So apparently someone else in Saskatchewan is reading the same series!
Now this is not something like the Darkest Minds novellas where they're an additional story that expands upon the universe in the series. This adds to the backstory some. And it's interesting, yes. It's very stylized as letters, and that's cool, although I'm not entirely sure the whole "Old English" thing carries through consistently and that probably would bug some people.
It's a cool bonus. Is it essential? No. If you can find it legally like from a library, check it out if you're into this series. But don't worry about it if you can't.
Although I will say, this is my favourite cover of the series. I love the ombre fade of the cloth from dark to light, and honestly, I like that there isn't a model. I mean, are you going to have a naked monk rolling around in fabric on your cover?
...actually can we have that? No, I'm kidding. Mostly.
January 28, 2014
After the release of the second book in the Dark Divine series came this li'l promo. It was meant to wet the appetite of readers who hadn't purchased The Lost Saint. Some reviewers here pan the book for not being a BOOK, but it was never meant to be anything more than a behind-the-scenes look at Brother Gabriel, a historical character in the story. Each letter from Brother Gabriel to his sister was released as a blog post on Bree Despain's blog in January 2011, then later compiled into an ebook.
Although the first letter feels rough compared to the others, Despain finds her voice quickly. I enjoyed the record of Gabriel's descent into the madness of the wolf—then redemption—and thought it a compelling read. As supplemental material to the Dark Divine, these letters give insight into a character who was pivotal to the story without taking attention away from the focus on the main antagonists in The Lost Saint.
Although the first letter feels rough compared to the others, Despain finds her voice quickly. I enjoyed the record of Gabriel's descent into the madness of the wolf—then redemption—and thought it a compelling read. As supplemental material to the Dark Divine, these letters give insight into a character who was pivotal to the story without taking attention away from the focus on the main antagonists in The Lost Saint.
March 29, 2014
Was actually just starting "The Savage Grace", when I seen this short ebook. So of course I had to stop, and read it first. "The lost Letters Of Brother Gabriel", the title says it all. Its letter written by Gabriel, to his sister Katherine. Before and after her death. Giving you a better insight of this struggles with being infected. And his fight to keep the wolf at bay.
After reading this short story (20 pages). I felt bad for Gabriel, and what he went throw. I mean the event that really brought out the wolf,to me is totally understandable. It was just the wolf, had way to much control over Gabriel after that. The last letter, of course raised some questions for me tho. So I am very thankful of course to have "The Savage Grace" beside me. ~HAPPY READING BOOK LOVERS!~
After reading this short story (20 pages). I felt bad for Gabriel, and what he went throw. I mean the event that really brought out the wolf,to me is totally understandable. It was just the wolf, had way to much control over Gabriel after that. The last letter, of course raised some questions for me tho. So I am very thankful of course to have "The Savage Grace" beside me. ~HAPPY READING BOOK LOVERS!~
December 14, 2011
Fazit
Insgesamt ist The Lost Letters of Brother Gabriel ein sehr empfehlenswertes Buch für Kenner und Fans der Trilogie, die etwas mehr über Gabriels Schicksal erfahren möchten. Außerdem verkürzt es die Wartezeit auf den ersehnten finalen Teil der Serie.
Die vollständige Rezension findet ihr auf meinem Blog:
http://nobody-knows.eu/review-lostlet...
Insgesamt ist The Lost Letters of Brother Gabriel ein sehr empfehlenswertes Buch für Kenner und Fans der Trilogie, die etwas mehr über Gabriels Schicksal erfahren möchten. Außerdem verkürzt es die Wartezeit auf den ersehnten finalen Teil der Serie.
Die vollständige Rezension findet ihr auf meinem Blog:
http://nobody-knows.eu/review-lostlet...
October 15, 2012
I probably would have liked them better if I'd read them shortly after I read the books so the story was fresh in my mind. Also, it bugged me that the dialog in the letters was "old English" with words like "thou didst this" but the majority was in modern English. I couldn't quite get past that inconsistency.
January 6, 2013
It's hard rating this and writing a review, I would have preferred if we found out more about Gabriel throughout the book instead of these letters, but I did nonetheless find his story quite interesting and it was nice building a connection, which I didn't have a chance to do, as his story in the Lost Saint is a bit vague!
November 16, 2011
This is tortuous! I can't wait for the next install,ent of this series! This mini-ebook was also a great refresher of the mythology of Despain's werewolves as opposed to all the others I have read about since reading The Lost Saint.
December 11, 2011
So it was interesting to read those letters. I'll admit that sometimes, I had trouble understanding this old english (after all, English is not my main language), but I think it brought a bit more to the background story of the series about Gabriel.
December 16, 2011
i love bree's books, but i was a little disappointed this one, in the dark divine, it seemed like there where more letters, so after reading which was good , just seemed like there was something left out, or should've been a few more letteres,
December 31, 2011
Beautiful cover!
After reading these letter I felt I understood Gabriel more. I didn't liked or disliked him in previous books but now,I finally know more about his past and the things he did to become a man(werewolf) he is today.
After reading these letter I felt I understood Gabriel more. I didn't liked or disliked him in previous books but now,I finally know more about his past and the things he did to become a man(werewolf) he is today.
Read
February 4, 2012I'm not actually giving this book a rating. I'm really mad at myself for spending the money on it. I just finished the last book in the series and was so disappointed that I can't bring myself to read it. Maybe I'll revisit some time in the future.
June 10, 2012
Well, I wouldn't call it a terrible book (or even a novella) but it wasn't a great book either. It focuses solely on Gabriel, how the wolf curse took him over, and his discovery of the moonstones. I don't see how it adds to the series, but maybe it will make more sense after I finish the last book.
July 18, 2012
i now understand more of Gabriel and his gratitude towards Sirhan.
They've been friends for ages and their friendship still runs strong!
I love Gabriel, despite all his monk-i-ness ( is that even a word?)
:) <3
They've been friends for ages and their friendship still runs strong!
I love Gabriel, despite all his monk-i-ness ( is that even a word?)
:) <3
January 2, 2015
Great author, not a great book
It was pretty good, but I wouldn't call it a book. It was very short and I felt it didn't add much to the story. I love the other books in the series though and I definitely recommend them.
It was pretty good, but I wouldn't call it a book. It was very short and I felt it didn't add much to the story. I love the other books in the series though and I definitely recommend them.
Want to Read
November 3, 2011I love the colors on the cover! I think this looks a lot better than The Savage Grace!
November 12, 2011
This compilation of letters was a good companion piece to the books in the world of The Dark Divine. They were short, but they gave a lot of good background that helped to flesh out Gabriel.
November 13, 2011
It was interesting.
Can´t wait for The Savage Grace!
Can´t wait for The Savage Grace!
December 6, 2011
Review to come!
February 6, 2012
Not worth having made letters into a book along could have added to one of the regular books.
May 20, 2012
Thank you Bree Despain for including this Dark Divine short story. I loved learning more about Brother Gabriel. :)
August 8, 2012
It was only 22 pages so obviously, I was able to finish it really quick. Basically, it just gave us a glimpse of what Gabriel's life was before we met him in The Lost Saint.
March 3, 2013
I liked that these letters gave us some of the Urbat history. I really like the last one, loved how it brought the past to the present.
June 21, 2013
Good little edition to The Dark Divine Series.
Read
March 6, 2014f3wertyuiop
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2014
I LIKED READING THE LETTERS AND GETTING TO KNOW BROTHER GABRIEL. ALSO YOU GET TO FIND OUT WHY HE SWORE ON NEVER FIGHTING AGAIN
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews